Trailer hitch



H. BLUE TRAILER HITCH y June 6, 1950 Filed Oct. 23. 1947 Patented June 6, 1950 TRAILER HrrCH Harry Blue, Coldwater, Mich., assignor of onehalf to Melvin L. Blue, Quincy, Mich.

Application October 23, 1947, Serial No. 781,631

' 3 Claims.

. 1 Y The presentinvention relates to improvements in trailer hitches. n

An important object of the invention is tor provide a trailer hitch which is `simple in construction, easy to operate, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and formed of a minimum number of parts.V

Another object of the invention is to provide ar trailer hitchV in the form of a drawbar combining means for quickly releasing and locking the stud of a trailing vehicle.

` A further object of the invention is to provide a trailer hitch for towing vehicles comprising a drawbar adapted for attachment to the towing vehicle, said Adrawbar being provided with a lock-v. ing slide and releasing wedgeY mounted in one end thereof for rmly locking and quickly releasing the stud forming a partV of the vehicle' being towed.

The above and other objects of the inventionl will in part be obvious and will Yin part be hereinafter-more fully pointed out.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the new and improved trailer hitch; I

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure l;

' Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of Vthe trailer hitch;

Figure iris a perspective view of the locking wedge, the same being detachedirom the trailer hitch. c

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, the'new and improved trailer hitch is generally designated by the reference numeral 5 and comprises an elongated rectangular-shaped drawbar 50i the preferred shape andv size illustrated in Figures 1 and-2 ofthe drawing.' The major portion of the 'length o f the drawbar 6 is reduced in thickness as indicated at 1, this reduced portion providing an end 8 which is adapted to be secured to the vehicle to be towed, not shown. One or more openings 9 are provided for receiving a locking bolt or the like, whereby the towing hitch may be firmly secured to the towed vehicle.

The other end I of the drawbar 6 is counterbored as indicated at II and carries therein a locking member I2 and wedge-shaped'` memberV I3..- The locking member I2 is shown detached from the drawbar in Figure 4'of the drawing,'and it will be noted that the same is substantially L-shaped in that there are provided integrallyformed leg members I4 adapted for engagement with the upper face I of the wedge-shaped mem- (Cl. 28o-33.17)

2 Y ber I3. The end of the lockingrmember I2' opposite the leg members I4 is concaved, as indi-` cated at I5 in Figure 2 of the drawing, this'Y concaved face I6 being adapted to engage the' AS1y ball-shaped head I1 of a locking stud I8. is to be understood, the locking stud I8 is'oarried by the towing vehicle and, in accordance with" the present invention, means have been provided for rmly locking and quickly releasing' the stud 'I8 from the drawbar 6.

The locking member I2 is slidable axially within the bore II and is maintained in slidable re" lation within said bore by means of a rod I9 which extends transversely throughV the locking member I2 and drawbar 6. For permitting this axial movement of the locking member I2'within the counterbore II, each side wall 20 of saidl counterbore is formed with an elongated slot 2I through which the rod I9 passes. As shown in Figure 4 Vof the drawing, the locking member I2 has a bore 22 for receiving the'rod I9. The'projecting ends of the rodI9 carry handles 23 to facilitate axial movement of the locking member I2. I

The wedge-shaped member I3 is used as the clamping and releasing :means for the locking member` I2. This wedge-shaped member I3 is also mounted within the counterbore II and is held in position by'means of a pin 24 which exing end of the screw 25 and is interposed betweenz a pair of washers 21. Downward pressure exertedVVV on the screw 25 will move the wedge-shaped member I3 downwardly to the dotted-line position shownV in Figure 2 of the drawing, and upon release of pressure on said screw, the spring 26- will return the member....l3 vtoits .normal position.... Y

Itis -believed that the operation'of the improved trailer hitch is obvious from the abovedescription when taken in connection with the accompanyingv drawing. In order -to-.clamp the ball-shaped .head I'I of the stud I8,the `wedgeshaped member I3 is first moved to the dottedline position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing by exerting downward pressure on the `screw 25.l This downward movement of thewedge.- shaped member I3 releases its contact with .the leg members I4 of the locking member I2 so that said locking member can be movedY axially in` aV direction toward thel member I3 by means 3 of a pulling action on the handles 23. The ballshaped head I'I can then be received Within the counterbore. Pressure on the screw 25 is then released and the tension of the spring 26 will draw the member I3 upwardly to the full-line position shown in Figure 2.

As the member I3 moves upwardly, its tapered face I5 will be brought'into engagement with the leg members lIll ofthe locking member I2, thus causing said locking member to be moved toward the ball-shaped head Il until its concaved face I6 abuts the same. The locking member I2 and the wedge-shaped member I3 are designed so that suicient-pressureewill be exerted on the ball-shaped head1? `of 'the'studf I8 to iirmly clamp and lock-said studagainst movement. The same procedure is employed when desiring to detach the stud from the trailer hitch.

Aside from its aforementionedfunction of retainingthelocking member vI2 in its ballV headlocking-position (Fig. 2) the depressibleiwedge member I3 also v-iunctixms lto hold the'locki-ng.

member I2'in inoperative .retracted position, as for4 instance when the ball head is to be,` located in:the.recess II. This willbe obvious from an inspection of Fig. 2,5from which it is evident that Whemthe Wedge YI 3 is :in 'the` dotted line 1 positionV and the locking member I2ihas been mcved rearwardly` (to right in LFig. 2) the rlegs of the locking member IZQWill overlie the top of the fiat top 'of V,wedge ;I;3. ,this position.anintermediate fportion'of the Wedge-actuating screw-.25

willibereceivedin.thespace between the lockingv member legs I4. Thus release of downward pressure on-screw 25.'enablesspring.y 2t,` acting throughthe wedge. I3,..to clamp thelocking member legs-tightly:betweenthexflattop.of the wedge I3 and the top. surface. of the recessI I until such atime asballzI'I has been located inV recess I I. When this has been accomplished the locking member lIf2'is1moved-.l'iy -handlesf23 to the .ffull line position of Fig. 2, and the thus released wedge-IBisvreturned'by spring 26 to.itsffull1line (locking member-retaining) position shown.

VThe relative sizes of the counterbore II, locking member -I2 land nwedge-shaped member -I3 are such'that diierent sizes of studs may baconveniently-accommodated.. :Itis to'be further understood-that the stud I8 mav'be of different shapes, the one herein illustrated beingof the type whichis receivable vwithin an opening in the `.rear end of -thetowing vehicle. In order to accommodate towingstuds vof different sizes, one face ofthelocking member I2 is channeled, as indicated at 28, this charmel-shaped lv portion moving into engagement with the pin-24 4when the locking member is moved axially toward the wedge-shaped member I3.

-It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the spiritof the invention as Vsetjforth in the appended/claims.

I claim:

1. In a trailer hitch, .a drawbarhaving a `.body member with one end adaptedto be ,secured to a vehicle, the other end of said body member being V formed with a substantially rectangularshaped recess for receiving a towing stud, alockimg member slidable in said recess for clamping said stud, and a tapered wedge movable vertically in said recess to permit axial movement of saidloclgingmemberfor releasing said stud, an operating stem carried by said wedge and projecting through said body from said recess, yieldtollally tend to hold it in retracted stud clear- .Dg position.

2. In a trailer hitch, a drawbar having a body lmember with .one end adapted to be secured to ya-vehicle,fthe other end of said body member being formed ,yvitha substantially rectangularshaped recess for receiving a towing stud, a rod .f extending transversely of said recess having limited movement in an elongated slot formed in each; side Wall 0f .':Sffiiltv bodywmember, a f locking member carried by said rod, a ,tapered Wedge movable ,-.yerticallygin said recess for ,releasing saidlocking member,n afspring-pressed plunger carried yby -said wedge `for operating the same, saidwedge operable vertically Withimtherecess to a position out of the path of said locking member ywhen the latter 4is moved horizontally within the-recess 1z0-release the stud,said locking member havingafpair vof rearwardly,extending legs adjacent its upperfendthe legs ofy theflock-i ing'membervmoving to apositionbetween the topgof thewedge'and the underside of therecessfwhereby the spring pressed.plunger4 vunen release frictionally retains-the clocking member in inoperative position.: y

3. In a'trailer-hiih, a-draw barhaving abody member` with one. end. adapted to-,be secured to a vehicle, the other end of said body member.being formed-withal;elongatedg surface :recess fuor receiving `a, :tov\,1in,gstud, stud-retaining -meansY lineally movable insaidrecess to ,and-from-.operative position, separate locking-. meansshiitable transversely in said recessand engageatde vwith said stud-retaining means to retairritl in;A operative position, said .separate vlocking-means rbeing sustained by one recesszend Wallqfor holdingthe locking means in operative position, yielding means tending to actuate the locking means-to operative.position,v s aid `stud-retainingv means having alirearwardly extendinsr t0n .ange engageable with said stud locking means Whenthe latter is in operative position,V and said rearwardly extending ange of the lretaining L means *A overlying one end ofsaidlocking means when both of` said means vaijeinl inoperative position whereby theyielding actuating. means of the locking means acts-through the latter to frictionally .retain the fretainng ,means in inoperative position.

HARRY vBLUE- -REFERENCES -CLTED The lfollowing .references are of record in the file of this patent:

AS'IIAIIEIS PATENTS Number Name Date 1,240,995 Menhall et al. Sept. 25,1917 2,237,031 Gilmore 1 Apr. 1, 1941 2,377,368 Polstra June 5,1945

FOREIGNPATENFIS Number Country -Date 722,441 *France vDec. I 29,V 1931 '794,538 France Dec. 12, 1935 

